It's Okay to Take it Slow
by LoveWeasley
Summary: Hermione finally realizes that Ron maybe isn't the best choice for her, and finds comfort in an unexpected place. Are You Crazy Enough to Do It Challenge
1. Chapter 1

364\. (quote) It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop. - Confucius

Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger were always the fiercely fated couple of the Golden Trio. Hermione nagged and scolded and rolled her eyes, but her exasperation was tinted with love and warmth that was difficult to find in those tense, pre-war days of Hogwarts. Ron's jealousy and obtuseness were well-known both in and out of Gryffindor tower, and known by none more than Hermione herself. Mixed into it, however, was boyish charm and longing for the bushy-haired, buck-toothed nuisance that had refused to leave his and Harry's side ever since that Halloween so many years ago. A troll. They'd fought a bloody troll together.

And everyone who had half a brain at that castle knew that they were reaching the breaking point of Ron and Hermione's friendship. Constant bickering could only mean affection. The ability to push each other's buttons like no other was increasing sexual tension. Making Hermione cry was love.

Until she realized it wasn't.

She wasn't sure when her head finally caught up with her heart. She wasn't even sure if her heart was in it to begin with, if she was honest with herself. In her sixth year she convinced herself that all his previous displays of jealousy and child-like irritability were because he didn't know how to handle having a crush on a girl. She wasn't deaf; she heard the girls and boys gossiping in the common room or in the Great Hall about when she and Ron would just get over it and snog each other senseless. It was obvious they were head-over-heels for each other, but both were too stubborn to be the first to admit it to the other.

And maybe she convinced herself that the whispers were true. After all, these students had had many more amorous broom cupboard encounters that she'd had to break up as a prefect than she wanted to remember. It wasn't as if romantic love was something she was familiar with in her own life. Even her own parents were together more out of necessity for their child than any of their own feelings for the other. With Viktor Krum in her fourth year there had been the distraction of Harry being in mortal danger and Ron ruining the few moments they had tried to find together. They still kept up an amicable letter exchange, but he had a pretty Italian wife now and their relationship was anything other than romantic. Who was she to say what love was? They were young and had been friends for years, wasn't that how it always started? She hadn't read too many romance novels, but even there it was implied romantic passion included heavy fury.

And so she felt herself grow more attached to Ron and jealousy possess herself as he received the attentions of Lavender Brown. She herself did some pretty awfully jealous and furious acts in return, such as dating Cormac or sending vicious birds at Ron's face. She wasn't innocent, that she knew, making misinformed and misguided decisions at the fear of losing what she was rapidly coming to believe was her only chance of love.

But here she was crying again because of him, crying because of his temper, crying because he had betrayed her, crying because he betrayed Harry, crying because she shouldn't care, the war was over and done with and he had redeemed himself, crying because she couldn't forgive him, and crying because she should have never convinced herself she was in love with him in the first place.

It was a month after the Battle of Hogwarts and they had been cleaning the castle practically from the day after the war had finally ended. Ginny and Harry were sickeningly in love and both were still too caught up in actually surviving after Harry had _actually died_ and Harry's previous shyness was, for the moment, gone as they set about christening every room still standing in Hogwarts.

Ron had, of course, been itching to do the same. She could sense it. A moment of heat in the midst of battle and suddenly it was all forgiven again. But a few nights after the battle she began to feel the weight of Ron leaving her and Harry during the Horcrux hunt. She felt all the times he had made her cry and that they had yelled at each other press against her chest. Every cruel and jealous word echoed in her mind and it finally snapped into place that Hermione had quite probably never even really _liked_ Ron, let alone _loved_ him.

And suddenly she was empty. She was so tired of crying over him. She had lost more tears to him than at any time during the war, and wasn't that just damn pathetic. Hell, she had held under Bellatrix fucking Lestrange's torture better than she had dealt with catching Ron and Lavender kissing. And she decided she was done wasting her emotional trauma on a boy who probably didn't even really love her either.

So then, why was hiding away yet again, crying at his anger at her rejection? He had found her resting by the lake, trying to beat some of the summer heat and taking a break from the cleaning efforts. She hadn't known he was supposed to come by that day. His shadow standing over her felt too cold as she realized what she had to finally tell him. What he had not taken well.

She was pretty sure the entire class knew about their disastrous falling out at this point. Maybe embarrassment was more the reason for her tears than anything. She had never really taken well to the ghastly articles that had been written about her by Rita Skeeter, for all she tried to hide it from the rest of the students.

Maybe it was fear that Harry would choose Ron over her. That Ginny and the rest of the Weasleys would choose Ron over her. She wouldn't blame them. Harry and Ron had been friends the longest out of any of them, and the Weasleys would never turn against one of their own. Harry had the additional problem of dating a Weasley, and he would even be socially obligated to choose his more-than-likely future family by marriage, no matter how close he was with Hermione or how much he cared about her.

Almost as if they had heard her thinking, Hermione heard feet against stone and the clear voices of Harry and Ginny coming closer to her hiding spot. She pulled her wand out and cast a silent Notice-Me-Not charm on herself. She didn't know if she could bear to lose everyone all in the same day.

"Ginny…" she finally heard Harry say a bit cautiously.

"Ron's a rotten prat!" Hermione was surprised to hear the amount of venom in Ginny's voice, "Anyone could tell that Hermione wasn't interested in a relationship with him anymore, no matter what he thought had happened or if he thought they had an understanding."

"Er… they could?" Harry asked, and Hermione had to keep herself from chuckling at the confusion in his tone. Harry had never been the best when it came to girls and emotions. She could practically feel Ginny's withering glare in his direction.

"Obviously. Ronald," she sneered the name with distaste, "hasn't exactly been great to our girl in the past. I'm honestly surprised she ever gave him the time of day, though not surprised that with the war over she's been able to come to her senses."

"But, I don't -"

"Harry," Ginny spoke, a lot gentler, "it's really okay. No matter what everyone said, Hermione and Ron weren't meant to be together. He'll get over it. Right now, I'm more concerned with finding our friend and making sure she's okay. Ron isn't necessarily great with words, but he always knew the right ones to hit Hermione where it hurt the most."

"I know, love, I'm worried about her, too. There were too many nights spent sixth year comforting her after he had said or did something… well, stupid. I guess I should have seen this coming…" at that point they trailed far enough away where Hermione couldn't make out the conversation anymore. She felt a bit rude not revealing herself after they were so obviously worried, but she still didn't feel quite prepared enough to face people with her face so puffy and red. However, she also could feel a peace wash over her, and for the first time in awhile she felt hopeful that things would work themselves out in her life after the war.

"Hey, Hermione. I would ask why you're hiding, but my prat brother practically blasted it for all to hear. He doesn't exactly have a quiet side, unfortunately." Hermione jumped at the sound of her name, but canceled the charm as she recognized the friendly voice.

"How on Earth did you realize I was here? I know it's been awhile since I've had to actively conceal myself, but I didn't think I was that rusty." She answered, trying not to grimace at the reminder of her time spent camping.

"I wouldn't be one to ever think you would grow rusty either, dear 'Mione, but it does surprise me that you're - well - surprised," George Weasley threw a grin her way that Hermione hadn't seen cross his face in a long while, and it made her heart ache, "I used Notice-Me-Not so often in my youth that it sticks out like a sore thumb to me. That and you've managed to wipe away a human-sized amount of dust and grime from the window."

"So the map wasn't good enough to keep you out of the wicked hands of Filch?" She teased.

"More like we… weren't so graced enough to have a bloody invincible Invisibility Cloak with us at all times. Though your lot managed to get into enough trouble as it was." Only a small catch indicated his reluctance to speak specifically of just who exactly he'd always been getting into trouble with through the years.

"So what are you doing around this part of the castle? I feel as if I never see you off the grounds with Hagrid." And she was genuinely curious, not that she blamed him for wanting to stay out of the castle where so many of their lives had drastically changed. She had hardly spoken a word to him since the clean-up began.

"I suppose I wanted to make up for all the times I knew my brother was being a horror to you and never doing anything about it," he moved to sit beside her in her little window alcove, "that and I'm tired of people encouraging me to come into the castle more. You'd think they'd appreciate that a man needs fresh air. I enjoy Hagrid's company, but they all seem to think I'm intentionally separating myself from everyone else."

"Aren't you?" Hermione immediately cringed as the question slipped out. And she had the gall to get onto Harry and Ron for being tactless.

"I'm not avoiding _people_ , I'm avoiding _places_ ," He answered, quicker and more honest than Hermione would have thought he would, "Every secret passageway, every staircase, every classroom, the common room, there are too many memories of him," and now she recognized the controlled lack of emotion he was trying to keep from his voice, "And Merlin forbid I even think about going up _there_."

Hermione shuddered at the thought. There was no need to mention the "him" or the "there." They both knew them achingly well. One of the few times she had spoken to George after the war was when he had come begging her to tell her what had happened, where it had happened, and she knew she couldn't leave Percy to be the one to have to relive the moment all over again. Even she had avoided the seventh floor corridor since she had been in the castle, always passing off assignments that went through the area to someone else who didn't have the tragic knowledge and memories that she did.

"If we won the war why has everything still gone to shit," she grimaced. George gave her a look that she couldn't quite read before suddenly pulling her in tight and fast.

"Ack! George Weasley, release me this instant!" She sputtered, spitting hair out of her mouth as George gave her a bone-crushing hug.

"I can't. You may be the first person who hasn't looked at me with pity in their eyes and simperingly asked me if I wanted to talk about it. I was ready to go steal another toilet seat and shove it up my own arse rather than deflect another one of those."

And she couldn't help herself, but she laughed and laughed because God she had missed laughing and joking freely and she had missed the lightness that the Weasley twins had brought into everything and then she was crying out of relief that though the war had stolen Fred Weasley it hadn't been able to take George Weasley, too.

She didn't even realize when George's own shakes of laughter had turned to ones of sobs and they cried together for everything lost and the hope that they all still had that they would be able to change the world for the better now. She didn't know how long they sat there after they stopped, George stroking her hair and Hermione fiddling with the sleeves of his robes, neither wanting to give up the comfort that they hadn't realized they desperately needed.

"We'd better get down to dinner. I'm sure Angelina will be missing you too," she teased him, and she felt warm at the genuine smile that crossed his face.

"We've been looking after each other. Some days we feel we're the only ones who understand the other. She'll be glad to hear I talked to you today. She may seem intimidating, but Angie's one of the biggest softies around these days." He helped her off the seat as they headed down to dinner.

"Do you think… could I join you and Hagrid tomorrow on the grounds? The castle has been a bit stifling lately and I find myself outdoors more often than not anyway." She asked hesitantly, but her fears were unfounded as George beamed.

"I think Hagrid would love your company as much as I would. I know he misses your little trio more than he'll ever admit out loud. At least, when sober," they both snickered a bit out of mutual love and fondness for their giant friend and his inability to keep secrets.

They entered the eating area and Hermione was shocked to see Ginny berating Ron and the boy himself already looking sheepish. She sighed and starting walking towards her fate before George suddenly caught her arm.

"How about we kip outside for a picnic, yeah? I'll get Angie to grab us some things and we'll meet you out there. I trust in you to find us the perfect spot," he winked at her before heading over to his friend.

Hermione couldn't walk out fast enough, but also couldn't keep the grin threatening to split her face down. They were all still recovering, they would probably always be recovering, but the important thing was to keep going, keep finding things to love and people to smile with and laugh amongst. After all, it does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.


	2. Chapter 2: Picnics and Old Friends

Their picnic by the lake was nothing short of being exactly what Hermione needed to recharge. She was tired from the clean up, from Ron, and lack of sleep from the nightmares that plagued every second she closed her eyes and that weren't far behind while awake. She had considered Dreamless Sleep for awhile, even knowing (or, perhaps, especially knowing) that it was addictive and overuse would cause grogginess and zombie-like symptoms. Sometimes that's what she wanted. More than sometimes, if she was being honest with herself. If she wasn't so terrified of losing control of her mind, the one aspect of herself she truly liked and valued, she knew she would already have gone down that road. She saw Dennis Creevey wandering the castle occasionally, a victim of overuse even just a month after the battle. She wondered if he, too, had snuck back in, if he had been witness to his older brother's death. She wondered why she envied him at times.

Hermione gave herself a little shake, refusing to go down that path while she should be having a perfectly good time. And she even was having a good time. Part of it was due to the company, she knew. George and Angelina had been blessed with the ability to retain their sense of humor in the wake of the war. Or maybe it was just a show they were putting on for her, for the moment. In any case, she couldn't help but feel enormously grateful as they talked by the lake, making small talk and cracking the occasional joke.

"Where have you been working these days, Angelina?" Hermione asked as she nibbled on a sandwich. Though the Hogwarts elves had heard of the picnic and had packed them a delightfully large spread, none of the three were in the habit of eating much at one time. Hermione and George, at least, had been on the run or in hiding for a good majority of the year and without steady access to food. Hermione didn't know what Angelina had done during the last year of the war, but from what she picked up on the girl's eating habits and manner of speaking she knew that it hadn't been easy. None of them had escaped unscathed.

"I've been trying to find open spots on Quidditch teams anywhere in Europe, really. I played Chaser, but I can play a decent Beater as well, just don't know if I'm skilled enough for the professional level," she shrugged, "Oliver's been putting me in touch with some of his contacts. He has to sit out this season, though, due to injuries," they all winced, having witnessed first-hand the injuries Oliver Wood had sustained at the Battle.

"Have you talked to Ginny much about it? I know she's being recruited by the Harpies," Hermione had never cared at all for Quidditch, but Ginny was one of her best friends - her only girl friend, even. Hermione had felt more excitement about Quidditch than she realized she had in her body towards the sport when her friend had giddily shrieked at the first letter the Harpies had sent her.

Angelina snorted at that before shaking her head, "Holyhead rarely actively recruits more than one or two people at a time, and almost never two girls that would be going for the same position."

"Until dear Angie gets her brilliance discovered we'll be working together to get the shop cleaned up a bit and decide what we want to do with it," George grasped Angelina's hand with her and their picnic plunged into a harsh sadness that had been lying at the edges ever since they had sat down together.

"I always figured you would re-open the shop, eventually," Hermione said gently, setting down her thermos of tea and watching the two of them carefully. She had dealt with many breakdowns since the war ended, and had had many herself, but she didn't know what she would do if both of these strong, merry people were to lose it in front of her.

"It's a possibility, but I don't know - I don't think I could do it without -" George violently broke off into big heaving gasps and Hermione realized with alarm that he was having a panic attack. Angelina rubbed his back soothingly and whispered in his ear. Hermione fidgeted about, hand clasping and unclasping her wand, unsure if she should summon a Calming Draught from her bottomless beaded bag and worried that anything she did would make it worse. When Angelina mouthed the name of the very potion she had been thinking about she had it in her hands and uncorked in less than three seconds, putting her free hand on George's cheek without thinking. He looked up at her with gratefulness and shame and she pushed the vial into his hands and he chugged it down in one go.

After that they silently gathered up their supplies, Hermione cursing herself for not changing the subject, Angelina mad at her own self for not taking to carrying around vials of the draught already, and George keeping his head lowered, trying to keep his thoughts from painful remembrance.

It was just their luck that they were met at the doors of the castle by the one person Hermione didn't think she could bear to see at that moment. She flew past Ron as quickly as possible, seeing his face turning red and not wanting to be around when he finally worked up something particularly nasty to sling at her. So much for the chastisement he had received at Ginny's hands. She practically flew to the Hufflepuff dorms, as both Gryffindor and Ravenclaw towers were considered too unstable to house a huge group of people at the moment. She was hoping nobody would be around, but she still tried to be thankful when she realized that there was just one other person in the dorm at the moment. She was even more thankful that Ron likely wouldn't follow her inside the dorm. Hufflepuff and Slytherin dorms were being used to house the women and men separately, respectively. Not that the two genders couldn't freely visit the others common rooms, but Ron had never been entirely comfortable being around a giant group of women at one time. It helped that he wasn't regularly bunking at the castle, opting to stay at the Burrow due to the _audacity_ of being otherwise regulated to the Slytherin dorms. And hadn't he thrown a fit when that lovely piece of information had been shared to the volunteers.

Her thankfulness turned quickly to discomfort as she heard her name whispered by a familiar voice from the other girl in the dorm. A longer look made her realize that it was Susan Bones, a girl who looked utterly at home and peaceful in the bright and cheery common area. Her red hair practically glowed, for once free of its usual plait, and it hung loosely down her shoulders.

"Hello, Susan. I thought you would have been downstairs eating with the rest," Hermione tried not to sigh as she made her way over to the collection of armchairs and plopped herself down on one. She would have preferred to have gone to her bed and laid down for awhile, but she felt a need to sit with the girl who, upon closer inspection, did not look peaceful at all, but almost certainly sleep-deprived and wan. They had become close second year and had regained some of that friendship back in their fifth year, but it had been a long time since she had sat down and had a proper chat with Susan, a thought which made Hermione feel, however unfairly, a bit guilty.

"Hannah's down in Hogsmeade for the day and I don't think I'm up to going out there right now. Ernie and Justin are downstairs, but they've had Zacharias as a shadow this past week and he's just as much of a prick as he was back before this all even started," Susan huffed, exasperation clear in her tone.

"You know, you could always hang around myself and Harry. I know you and Neville are close, too," Susan blushed a deep red at that and lowered her head so her hair fell around her face. Hermione winced and cursed herself for always managing to say the wrong thing at the wrong time.

"Yes, well, I'm trying to avoid Neville for the time being. He and Hannah have a thing going on now, don't you know," Susan sniffed, "and I wouldn't really be a good friend by hanging around him more than I should what with my own feelings," Hermione couldn't fully see the girl's face, but she could tell the girl was cringing at herself.

"Well, I guess if you need someone to move onto, Ron's readily available," Hermione replied cheekily, grinning as Susan whipped her head up in barely controlled confusion and not a bit of irritation. She caught Hermione's smile, however, and let out a strangled laugh as she realized she was being teased.

"Yes, well, as much as we Hufflepuffs love to heartily enjoy a good meal, I don't think that even one of us could put up with Ron's exact… fervor for food," she wrinkled her nose and Hermione couldn't stop the small giggle that escaped, "not to mention that Hufflepuffs value loyalty, and Ron hasn't exactly been the best case study in that regard."

Hermione suddenly wondered if Susan had found out about Ron leaving her and Harry during the Horcrux hunt (after all, it wouldn't be a stretch considering he had gone back to be with his family at that time and gossip made its way around) before realizing Ron had had plenty of disloyal moments in Hogwarts, the worst of all being the Triwizard Tournament.

"It's nice to talk to you again, Susan," Hermione said sincerely, not knowing how to reply to the girl's previous statement. Thankfully, she beamed back at her.

"Is it weird to say I missed you? I know we weren't exactly the best of friends, but I always enjoyed our conversations. The other Puffs are lovely friends and great to talk to, but they're not exactly the most studious of people and it was nice having an academic discussion or debate every once in awhile. Auntie raised me to always question everything and always be passionate, even in things as dreadful as Binns History class," Susan's tone grew a bit wistful at the mention of her Aunt, and Hermione remembered it had only been a little over a year since Amelia Bones had been brutally murdered at the hands of Voldemort himself. She wondered if there was anybody that monster had managed to leave untouched.

"Got any fun ideas for this afternoon? I was planning of taking the day off. I haven't had a free one in quite some time and my back is begging me to slow down," Hermione found herself asking the girl, desperate, perhaps, to make up for her disaster at the picnic and desperate to develop some kind of stronger friendship with another girl since she was so severely lacking in that aspect of her life.

"Hannah and I had talked about going to the kitchens to see if the elves would let us make a batch of sweets for the volunteers or something like that. I can see if she wants to come up for the afternoon?" Susan looked delighted at the offer and Hermione hated to have to turn her down.

"The house-elves sort of hate me," Hermione grimaced and Susan laughed, "after the whole S.P.E.W. and knitting scarves and hats most of them avoid me in the kitchens and anywhere else."

"Well, then, perhaps we could just grab a couple of novels and a cup of tea and head to one of the reading nooks?" Susan suggested after her giggles had died down. Hermione quickly agreed that that sounded like a great idea, even going so far as to grab some extra blankets and pillows. The two girls curled up and spent the afternoon relaxing together, Hermione feeling once more at peace, and with a new warmth in her heart for the sweet and understanding girl beside her.

Later that day, Hermione and Susan made their way down to dinner together, discussing the books they had devoured that afternoon. Hermione had decided to read through _Theories of Transubstantial Transfiguration_ while Susan had _A Practical Guide to Counter Legilimensy,_ a book, she told Hermione, that her Aunt had given her due to the number of Legilimens that were on Voldemort's side of the war. She had, unfortunately, only been able to read small sections of it as she risked the book getting confiscated if she read it at the Hogwarts run by the Carrows. However, she still had an interest in shielding her mind. Hermione had never mastered Occlumency herself, for all that she had gotten onto Harry about it, and by the time they made it to dinner Susan had promised to let her borrow the book as soon as they got back to the dorm.

Hermione forced herself not to look in Ron's direction as she headed with Susan to sit with Hannah, who had come back up from Hogsmeade, and many of the other Hufflepuffs from their year, as well as Padma and Parvati Patil. Before she could get there, however, she felt a tug at her arm and she braced herself for the worst. Thankfully, it wasn't the Weasley she thought it was. She waved Susan on ahead with a smile and assurance that she would see her later tonight and turned back to greet Ginny.

"I'm glad to see you looking happy. I can't remember the last time you seemed so relaxed. If I would have known you and Ron finally splitting up would have done that I would have knocked some sense into both of you a long time ago," Ginny smirked and gave her a hug that she gladly returned. She still felt the fresh relief that Ginny had been so understanding. Sometimes it was hard to tell where the Weasley temper would fall.

"I'm sorry I didn't talk to you earlier. We went to the Lake for lunch and then I found Susan in the dorm and we ended up reading the afternoon away," Hermione apologized but Ginny just made a motion as if she was waving ti away.

"Classic Hermione Granger style," she grinned cheekily and Hermione huffed, "though I must say I do wonder, with you spending the afternoon with the bodacious, beautiful, _buxom_ Susan there may be another underlying reason you broke it off with Ron." Ginny waggled her eyebrows at her.

"Ginny Weasley, you're a rotten pain in my arse! You have to be worse than all of your brothers combined," Hermione attempted to smack the girl's arm, but she deftly dodged it, her devious expression never faltering.

"I resent that," both girls turned as George approached, and Hermione was glad to see a smile back on his face, "it wounds me, 'Mione, to think that you believe Ginevra could best me in the arts of debaucherous expression," his heart clutched his heart as he gave a feigned cry. Both girls rolled their eyes and Ginny hooked Hermione's arm in hers, pulling her towards Harry. Somehow, Ron had slipped out without her notice, and she breathed out a sigh of relief which Ginny heard. Her friend looked up at her sympathetically up at her, patting her hand. They slipped into the seats beside Harry, Ginny at his right and Hermione at his left, while George sat across from them. Harry slipped an arm around Hermione and gave her a reassuring squeeze. She laid her head on his shoulder for the briefest moment, thankful that Ginny was so understanding of their friendship. It felt nice to have the reassurance of friendship from the two people she was closest with, discounting Ron at the moment for obvious reasons.

Neville joined them as they were just starting their meal, and Angie came up shortly after that. Many of the Gryffindor students from their year or ones that had graduated when they were much younger also stopped by occasionally, catching up or asking questions about the various projects they were working on together at the castle. Hermione kept an eye on George for almost the entire dinner, trying to discern how he was feeling after his panic attack at the lake earlier. For the most part, he seemed just as subdued as he had every previous day at dinner, though he did catch her eye a few times during the meal and offered up a small smile.

They finished dinner and were heading out, either to take showers and go back to the dorms or to finish up some last minute projects when George caught her by the arm. They walked together, Angie included, to the front doors in mostly silence. As they reached the doors, the two older volunteers shared a look before Angie headed closer to the door, leaving George to speak with Hermione privately for a moment.

"I just wanted to say, thank you for today. I know it was a bit of a rollercoaster, and that we haven't been close friends in the past, but I'd like to change that. I know Angelina would, too. She was very grateful for your help today, and, of course, I was as well," he smiled down at her, and for once she didn't see even a hint of mischief in his eyes. It was raw gratitude and Hermione felt a bit uncomfortable and the display.

"I'm just glad I, well, I thought I might have triggered it what with asking the question and I wasn't exactly sensitive -" Hermione stammered out. She found herself cut off as George wrapped her in their second hug of the day. She blushed a bit as Angie grinned softly at the display, though the older girl was trying to pretend she wasn't paying attention.

"I'll see you tomorrow, yeah? I already promised Hagrid you were coming down, and you wouldn't want to disappoint him," George said as he pulled back.

"No, I could never bring myself to cause him any kind of unhappiness," Hermione agreed, and it was true. They waved goodbye to each other, Hermione sending an extra wave to Angie as well, and she turned to head upstairs as they walked out the doors, hand in hand.

Hermione tied her hair back as she walked towards the Hufflepuff dorms, planning to have an early night. She wanted to be at her highest energy to keep up with Hagrid and George tomorrow. She still felt very relaxed as she realized the day had turned out to be fairly nice overall. Her friends hadn't left her, she was trying to kickstart a better relationship with Susan, and she had found a solace in George Weasley that was unexpected, but not unwelcome. She couldn't, however, stop the unpleasant worry of when she would eventually have her own, horrifying breakdown in front of him, and not with Ron as the cause.

 **AN: So I had actually planned the first "chapter" as a one shot, but since so many people were interested I decided to turn it into a bigger story! I have a general idea of where I want the story to go, but I'd like some input, too! Would you like to see this as a George/Hermione friendship or have it turn into a romance? And just your general thoughts and reviews are super welcome! Thanks for reading!**


	3. Chapter 3

Hermione woke after her first full night of sleep in a long time. No nightmares, clutching her arm as she screamed, clawing at the scars that covered her body. Just a sweet, peaceful snooze. She had dreamt of an earlier time in Hogwarts, sitting on the train with her friends before anyone had become romantically inclined and before Voldemort had been reborn. Back when they were just kids. It normally would have put her in a melancholy mood, but for whatever reason the day had decided to be good to her and she felt quite cheerful and calm thinking of simpler days.

It had been a few weeks since that fateful day she turned down Ron's advances for good. The work at the castle was getting to the point they were needing to bring the professionals in for the big fixes before a few more cosmetic changes needed to be made and the new term started that September. The towers had to be fixed, of course, but there was also a new ward scheme being put up and she had heard that no one would be allowed at the castle while that was happening. She didn't quite know where she would go once everyone vacated Hogwarts, for however long that took, as she couldn't go back to the Burrow and her parents… well, she wasn't quite sure she could face them yet.

Hermione hopped in the shower as she considered her options. She knew Harry was staying at Grimmauld Place. Kreacher had a newfound, unwavering loyalty to him after the locket and the house had suddenly become transformed in his eagerness to please his Master, shining in a way that even Molly Weasley couldn't achieve after months and months of work. But she knew Ginny would sneak over often and, as much as she loved both of them, she wouldn't feel comfortable knowing that much of their relationship.

She considered that maybe Susan would be a good place to start. She knew that the girl had inherited Bones manor, but, as Susan had often complained in weeks past, there would be nobody else living there. The poor girl was the only surviving member of the Bones' family, and though she and Hannah had made plans to live together, Hannah's newfound relationship with Neville had resulted in the couple deciding to buy a flat.

Hermione made a mental note to herself to ask Susan about the possibilities of bunking together for a short while as she finished getting ready for the day. Though everyone would be cleared out shortly, there were still quite a few projects that needed to be done around Hogwarts. She put on some old clothes, tied her hair up as best as she could, and headed downstairs to the grounds.

Hermione had been helping George and Hagrid practically every day after the first time she had gone down there. Her old friend had gone teary-eyed at first sight of her and gave her a bone-crushing hug before offering to cook up his infamous rock cakes - which she had politely declined.

The three of them had been working on restoring tree loss, various landscaping on the grounds, and working with the creatures in the Black Lake and the Forbidden Forest. The relationship between the centaurs and the mermaids and made remarkable improvements, but Hagrid was struggling to build back the previous rapport he had had with the Acromantulas and Aragog. Hermione usually dog-sat Fang on those days Hagrid decided to visit the spider colony.

"'Ere's our girl!" Hagrid beamed as he saw her approach. Hermione was unable to quell the smile that grew on her own face. For all that Hagrid had suffered in years past, he was still sweet and gentle and one of the friendliest people she had ever met. Some days, she would think of him being forced to carry Harry back up to Hogwarts - a tale Harry had only shared after they had all become plastered one night - and would be unable to stop the sobs from escaping.

George, who had been playing fetch with a greying Fang, turned to smile at her. A younger Hermione never would have believed that the trickster Weasley would become a person she would be practical best friends with, but here they were. They had bonded a lot over shared stories of troublesome youth, though George had a hard time believing some of the exploits the three youngsters had gotten into, and if they occasionally shed a tear in the others presence, well, that had only served to build trust between them.

"What's the plan for today, Hagrid? I'm starting to run out of clothes that I don't mind to part with," she teased, and it wasn't far from the truth. More often than not, their clean-up had resulted in ruined clothes not even the strongest of cleaning charms could fix.

"Nothin' too taxin' today. Neville asked if we could clean up the greenhouses a bit with 'im," Hagrid replied. They had often worked with Neville in weeks past, as he had expertise in the plant-life and regeneration of the Hogwarts grounds that even Hagrid was unsure about at times.

"Good ole Nev saved us an easy task, he told me it should be a short day for us since cleaning charms will get most of the work done quickly. Gotta love that bloke," George wiped fake tears from his eyes, "leaving the quick work to poor sods like us," Hermione chuckled as they set off towards the greenhouses, Fang deciding for once to bound along with them. It wasn't often these days that he went far past Hagrid's hut.

The work was, indeed, quick. Quicker, even, that George had joked. Neville shrugged when they asked if there was anything left to do, and so Hagrid had declared it a day of rest and relaxation.

"How have you been, Neville? I heard you and Hannah are staying together now. You seem to be getting cozy very quickly," Hermione teased him. George and Hagrid were outside playing with Fang.

"Hannah is lovely, yeah," Neville grinned goofily back at her before bending over a pot he was tending to, "I've had a crush on her for who knows how long. Turns out she's felt the same about me for awhile and then everything happened pretty quickly. We just work together so well. I know it's a bit soon, but I may be considering asking her to marry me before term starts up again," Hermione could see Neville blush a deep red as he admitted that. The two of them had always had a close relationship when it had come to speaking their minds. Neville and Hermione had leaned on each other when others in their House wouldn't understand or just wouldn't care.

"As long as you're happy, you know I'll support you no matter what," Hermione answered back, though inside she was a bit uncertain. After all, her parents had also married young and early into a relationship, and it hadn't exactly worked out great for them.

Hermione was surprised when Neville abandoned his plant and came forward to embrace her. She was even more stunned when she felt tears prick her eyes. Merlin, she was a touchy mess lately.

"I've just never had the chance to thank you for how much you've been there for more over the years, how you've always listened, even at the expense of your own well-being," Neville whispered in her ear, and Hermione felt herself hug him tighter in response.

"Yeah, well, I did petrify you in first year," she choked out, and they both laughed.

"And you nearly killed yourself trying to make sure I was alright in third year when you were already spreading yourself too thin because of that damned Time Turner. I don't know what the Ministry was thinking, giving a third year access to that kind of magic," Neville pulled back and rolled his eyes.

"When has the Ministry ever proved they had even half a brain? At least Kingsley seems to be putting them on the right track," Hermione answered with a roll of her eyes as well.

"Lunch? Or I guess late breakfast? I can't work with my stomach grumbling as loud as it is," Neville grumbled himself, locking arms with Hermione and pulling her through the greenhouse door. She waved to George and Hagrid to follow them, laughing as Neville seemed dead-set on marching them straight to the nearest food source as soon as possible.

Hermione didn't know if her ears or currently crushed chest were hurting worse. After lunch, she had caught up with Susan and asked her about staying with the girl for potentially the rest of the summer. And now she was in this predicament, ears ringing from a shrieking Susan that was refusing to release Hermione from surprisingly strong arms.

"Sue, I know you're excited, but I've already been squeezed into a pulp once today and I'm scared you just might kill me," Hermione patted the girl on the back awkwardly, releasing a breath when Susan, thankfully, let go. She pretended like she didn't notice the unshed tears in the other girl's eyes as they both beamed at each other.

"I'm just so excited to get a housemate for at least a little while. And you know you're welcome to stay for longer than that, of course, though I'm assuming you'll be coming back to Hogwarts for a final year? You were always more studious than any Ravenclaw," Susan teased.

"I do need to finish my N.E.W.T.S if I want to go into the Ministry. I know Harry and Ron were both allowed to immediately go into Auror training once September hits, but I still feel like I have so much to learn before I can take up a proper job. Not to mention a full year of no formal study," Hermione stopped abruptly as Susan patted her arm and she felt herself relax. She hadn't even realized she had been working herself up about something as silly as school. She hadn't fretted about grades or exams or anything of that sort in a long while. She felt like a trite little girl and smiled weakly at Susan.

"You know, I was thinking about coming back myself, but I didn't know if there would be anybody else returning from our year and I would just look ridiculous all on my own. How about I attend one last year with you and we nick one of the spare quarters hiding in Hogwarts. We can adopt Ginny and Luna and whoever else might want to come along to escape the general populace," Susan's eyes were filled with kindness and friendship and now it was Hermione's turn to practically crush the life out of her friend.

"How are we going to just get back to class like nothing ever went on here? Like we didn't see blood split all over these halls? Like we weren't the ones who did the spilling?" Hermione found herself whispering into Susan's hair, and she felt her friend's arms hold her tighter.

"I don't know, 'Mione," Susan whispered back, "I think they expect us to pretend like nothing happened. That's what the Ministry will expect. That's what whatever new professors they hire will expect. Or anybody that wasn't involved in the battle here. Not to mention the general populace who sat on their arses the entire war. We just take it a day at a time and stick together and fuck anybody else that tries to sweep it under the rug."

Hermione smiled and kept herself from chastising Susan's language. The girl could be worse than Ron when it came to that. She dabbed at her eyes a few times before kissing her friend on the cheek and saying goodbye. She began to head back outside before she remembered that she had the rest of the day off.

"Hey, Hermione. Fancy taking a walk around the lake?" Her eyes lit up as she saw Harry walking towards her.

"Neville's declared us done for the day, so I suppose I can spare a bit of time," she said back teasingly. He flashed a grin as they walked out the doors in companionable silence.

"There's something I've actually been meaning to talk to you about lately," Harry looked nervous when he spoke.

"Harry, I love you, but if you're about to tell me you want to propose to Ginny already I'm going to physically knock some sense into you," She replied, thinking back to her conversation with Neville and cursing Gryffindor boys who acted before they thought.

She was satisfied to see Harry sputtering after that statement, his face bloomed a bright red and for a minute Hermione worried that he might be actually choking. She mockingly patted him on the back a few times.

"No, Merlin, no, not yet. I mean, I love Ginny, of course, but I just don't think either of us are ready for that step - I mean she's got Quidditch to think about and I'll be busy with Auror training, who knows if we'll even get to see each other that -"

"Okay, Harry, breathe. Stop panicking. It was an innocent question," she stated, and didn't back down when he glared at her for daring to call it innocent, "so if that's not it, then what did you want to talk about?"

Immediately he looked nervous again and Hermione felt a bit of dread in her stomach and chest. He paused for a second more before speaking, "Well, Hermione, I was just… well, I was wondering, what with the war being over and it being safe here again… I was wondering if you were planning on going to Australia anytime soon?"

Hermione froze. She had hoped it would be a long time before anyone asked her about her parents, if they ever even bothered to ask at all. She should have known better, especially when it came to her best friend. Harry always wanted to see families together, happy, loving. There was a reason she had never actively invited him or Ron over to her home.

She did love her parents, and she knew that they loved her, in their own way. She also knew they had been heading towards divorce when her mother had fallen pregnant. It was a miracle they had kept her in the first place, but a mistake that they had decided to stay together afterwards. More often than not, dinners were icy, silent. Even before she went off to Hogwarts, everyday felt strained and either one of her parents could be destined for a blow up. After she left, her parents had lost the one reason they even stayed together in the first place, and coming back for holidays only made her wish to be back at Hogwarts more. It was why she had spent so much time at the Burrow and Grimmauld Place.

So, no, she wasn't really looking forward to replacing her parents' memories and bringing them back to this state of unhappiness. They had seemed happier after she Obliviated them. Maybe she would let them stay that way, as Wendell and Monica. It was something she had thought about many times, even though the thought of her parents never knowing her again sent an icy stab through her heart. But she knew she couldn't make a decision until she saw, with her own eyes, how they had adjusted to their new life. And it was because she didn't want to make that decision that she had been avoiding talk of Australia as much as she could.

"I'm not sure, Harry. I've been busy with all of the rebuilding and thinking about my future plans. I know they're happy for now, so there's really no rush. I'll probably go sometime before Hogwarts starts back in September."

"If you need some support, you know I would be happy to go along with you," Harry replied, and Hermione again felt her heart go out to her compassionate friend. She knew Harry was completely genuine, and no matter how uncomfortable he might be in that kind of situation, he would do it for her. But she knew she couldn't bear for him, or anyone, to come with her. She didn't know what she was going to find.

"I'll think about it," Hermione told him, because she knew he would argue (and win) if she flat out refused in this moment. He smiled again and their conversation turned to lighter topics as they finished the stroll around the lake. Hermione's thoughts, however, were still filled with Australia, and what state she would find her parents in when she got there.

* * *

 **Word count: 2789**

 **AN: So sorry for the late update! I've been incredibly busy the past couple of weeks. I'm actually still in school right now and have been working almost full-time hours, so it's hard to find time to write. My schedule should be clearing up soon, though!**

 **Reviews: Most of you seem to be totally for a romance, which is what I was leaning towards as well, so a romance we will get! As for the question of a Susan/Hermione pairing, I have a little something planned for later on in that regard. George/Hermione is going to be a bit of a slooooow burn, and Hermione may have some other ~romance~ before we get to the main duo.**

 **Thanks to Sammy-Jay Potter, Elena Zanettini, Mint16527, filmdork, and astridschuehle for reviewing!**


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